Closing the Achievement Gap
The Golden State Pathways Program (GSPP) was a $500 million investment established by Assembly Bill 181 after California set a 70-percent postsecondary attainment goal in the 2022–23 State Budget. Program funds are provided to support expanded pathways and smoother transitions into high-wage, high-skill and high-growth […]
The California Department of Education released the latest edition of the California School Dashboard on Nov. 13, touting a “continued increase in academic achievement and graduation rates” and a “reduction in chronic absenteeism.” While some growth was evident, a look at the underlying data reveals a more complicated picture of student performance — one that demands greater scrutiny of the status quo, increased investment in public schools, and a commitment to reducing achievement gaps by accelerating achievement, particularly for the state’s most vulnerable students.
Since 2021, California has invested $4.1 billion in the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP), establishing the nation’s largest state-level community schools initiative. According to new research from the Learning Policy Institute (LPI), these schools are already having positive impacts on students and families. The […]
An Oct. 9 webinar hosted by CSBA featured initial analysis of results from the 2025 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and CSBA issuing a challenge to the state to create a state-level plan focused on what state agencies and policymakers will do differently to better support local educational agencies in closing the achievement gap.
The Northwest Evaluation Association’s (NWEA) recent brief, “Policy recommendations for addressing the middle school reading crisis,” provides insights on how state and local educational agency leaders can improve literacy outcomes.
While most mayors in the U.S. don’t directly oversee their local school districts, they still have an important role to play in helping students succeed through direct support, supporting strategic partnerships and public advocacy. New guidance from the National League of Cities details how city […]
During the 2024–25 academic year, Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) expanded its students’ access to higher education through a partnership with the Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network.
The article “Cumulative exposure to urban heat can affect the learning capacity of students and penalize the vulnerable and low-income young population: A systematic review,” which was recently published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLOS Climate, considered seven studies spanning 61 countries and roughly 14.5 million students on the subject as communities around the globe continue to face more extreme climate-related event.
Multilingual learners are one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. student population, with nearly one in five students in public schools across the country speaking a language other than English at home. Developing disciplinary literacy is vital to equipping students with the skills […]
A recent report from EdTrust that compiles related-resources on fostering an equitable approach to improving literacy, provides recommendations for state and local actions to address subpar literacy rates.
